Russia and US sign memorandum about air missions over Syria

Russia and the US have penned an agreement regulating their missions over the skies of Syria. The deal, announced on Tuesday by the Russian Defence Ministry was hailed as a “positive step” by Moscow.

The document "has important practical value. It regulates the actions of manned and unmanned aircraft in the airspace above Syria. The Memorandum contains a set of rules and limitations aimed at preventing incidents between the air forces of Russia and the US," the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

The signing of the memorandum "shows a high potential for cooperation between Russia and the US, including in the fight against terrorism,” the statement added.

According to Moscow, there will now be round-the-clock communications between America and its anti-IS coalition allies and Russian air forces, which began bombing Syria at the end of last month.

However, Washington has moved to distance itself from the deal and insists that it and Russia are now working toward the same goals in Syria.

"This is ensuring that when pilots are operating, that they're using internationally recognized communications channels, that they're speaking English so that we can -- you know, avoid mishaps," White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said earlier today.

"But this does not at all rise to the level of any sort of strategic cooperation at all.”

While Washington has softened its anti-government rhetoric of late – saying that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could stay in power for a transitionary period – it has continued to demand his eventual exit from power. Russia, meanwhile, insists that Assad should be allowed to stay.

Moscow air strikes have also taken aim at a range of different Syrian rebel groups, allegedly including US-backed rebels. The US-led coalition in contrast says it is only targeting the Islamic State group although it has on occasion also hit al-Qaeda affiliates the Nusra Front. Washington has repeatedly accused Russia of trying to prop up long-term ally Assad.

Hours before Russian media published the information, NATO voiced concern that Russia's air attacks in Syria creates the risk of "an incident getting out of control," as Moscow and the US-led international coalition are pursuing different military objectives. 

"It's clear that Russian objectives and their air operations over Syria and those of the anti-ISIL (Islamic State) coalition are not the same," said NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow.

"So that does increase the risks of an incident getting out of control," he told reporters in Lisbon on the margins of a defence industry forum.

Since the Russian airstrikes began, at least 35,000 people (although as many as 70,000 according to some sources) have been displaced from Syria’s second city Aleppo which is not known to have a major IS presence.

Overnight on Monday, 42 people were also allegedly killed and dozens others injured when Russian aircraft targeted an opposition-held area in the countryside of Latakia province, Syrian Civil Defense officials told Anadolu Agency.

The latest regime offensive has caused a mass exodus from Aleppo, according to the UN, while the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Russian bombs have so far killed 370 people, including civilians.

At least 250,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the Syrian conflict in 2011, with 7.6 million internally displaced and more than 4 million having fled to nearby countries.